


Playing the Angel

by myrinas_webbe



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Angst, Complicated Bruce/Dick Relationship, Complicated Relationships, Drama, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-01 07:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5197157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myrinas_webbe/pseuds/myrinas_webbe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick was genuine. He cared. And that’s what made him dangerous. Because something deep down inside Jason wanted to care back.[Repost with new chapters in the works!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Pain That I'm Used To

Chapter One: A Pain That I'm Used To

 

The sound of a blade grating against rotting cement barely registered above the usual din of pre-dawn Gotham. Well, the Bowery in pre-dawn Gotham. The usual din here wasn’t the high-pitched plastic laughs of socialites or the raucous bellows of inebriated, greedy businessman. It wasn’t the sound of valets revving the engines of the latest European sports-cars. No, the usual din here was the echoes of drunks vomiting their liquid dinner in the alleys or the territorial arguments of hookers as they fought for next month’s rent. The usual din was the shouting match between husband and wife as the burden of living hand-to-mouth suffocated them more each day. It was the sound of glass smashing and falling onto old cobblestone streets. Of treadless tires screeching as they fight to find a grip on decaying roads.

These were the sounds of the people’s Gotham. Of Red Hood’s Gotham.

But this night those sounds had yielded little in the way of action and eve n less in the way of revenue. The irritation wore on Gotham’s most volatile protector, showing in the way the knife dug deeper and deeper into the roof’s ledge. Eyes glared from behind white lenses, scanning the alleyways below. This was the third week in a row he hadn’t seen any significant action and his frustration was fast approaching critical mass. He could feel the adrenaline burning in his muscles, pumping faster and faster through his veins with no place to go. Its heat prickled against his skin, itching from the inside out. It made him edgy. Careless. Reckless. Usually when he started to feel its burn, he would slake its lust with a few well-placed hits. Or bullets. Or explosives. Or any combination of the three. When that failed, he would slake his lust in a very different way. But it had been weeks since he had seen any action along that route. And not for lack of offers. But they always seemed to come with strings attached, and Jason had little time and eve n less patience for that. Right now, he just wanted a damn good fight or a damn good fuck.

But it seemed neither was a willing suitor.

Jason suddenly slammed the knife into the ledge, cocking his head to the side as he watched the dull moonlight reflect off of the blade. Another night of going back to one of his decrepit safehouses, his muscles reverberating from the built-up adrenaline. Another night where he jerked off in the shower, where he slumped spent against its dingy tiles, wilted cock in hand, feeling emptier than before. Another night where release like that only temporarily eased the inky darkness that encompassed him. A replay of so many previous nights. Until—

“Hot damn.”

The sounds of muffled arguing rose from above the alley’s usual clamor. White lensed eyes peered over the edge to see a group of teenagers surrounding a crumpled form, each holding a weapon in hand. Jason rolled his eyes and sighed. Just another drug deal gone bad. He had wanted to wrestle with the lions. Instead, he was going to squash a cockroach.

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Todd.” He mumbled to himself before swinging over the edge.

“He wants all of—oomphf!”

“Way past your curfew, kiddies.” Jason interrupted, his heavy boot now firmly planted on the chest of the scrawny kid he knocked over. “Now who is he and what is it he wants?”

“The hell?”

“Fuck you, man! We don’t have to tell—“

“Yeah, you really do.” Jason countered, a gun now pointed at the punk glowering at him with false bravado. “So I’ll ask again. What piece of shit dealer do you work for that I don’t know about?”

“I can’t—“

The gun cocked.

“Shit….Wes, it’s him.” The kid beneath Jason’s boot squirmed as he made the proclamation.

“Him who?”

“Him.” The boy emphasized, eyes wide with fear. “The Red Hood.”

Jason sighed before knocking against his helmet with the butt of his pistol. “Gee, what gave me away?”

“L-Look—we’re just errand boys, okay? We’re nothing. You go after big fish. We’re guppies.”

“I know.” A dangerous smile lit behind the helmet. “But believe it or not, you’re the only action I’ve got going tonight in this crime-festering shithole. So, who’s your boss, kid?”

“We can’t—he’ll—“

The cocking of a second gun cut the boy short. “And you think I’ll be any nicer?”

“We’re only kids, man!”

“Yeah, which us why I’m only doing this.”

A few well-placed kicks and grunts later and all five were on the ground, wrists and ankles bound by red zipties. Jason sighed as he rose to his feet and stared down at his handiwork. He could hear the gravel crunching beneath his heavy boots and taste the tang of blood in the air. It was all over so quickly. Ju st like the orgasms his drew from himself in the shower, jerking himself off with a calloused palm. Over in moments and leaving him hollow.

He barely worked off any of the current crackling beneath his skin.

“Now that I have your full attention,” Jason began as he holstered his guns. “Tell me—“

The dark vigilante suddenly stopped and cocked his head to the side. “Oh, fuck no.”

Jason had never possessed the lithe grace of his predecessor, even when he first donned the bright colors of Robin. No one could match Dick Grayson in that sense. Yet he possessed instinct and speed to be envied. In the months that Jason trained with Talia’s connections, he grew. Teenage limbs lengthened into adulthood. Muscle added to mass. The boy became a man.

Jason grew, but he was still fast.

Just not fast enough.

“Goddamn it!”

Where his bike had been was now occupied by nothing but a pack of ally rats. Angry rats. But they were no match for the fury in the heavy jacket and cargo pants looming over them. A litany of colorful words in various languages spewed from the man’s mouth as he kicked a nearby dumpster hard enough to dent. The rats scattered instantly leaving behind the remains of their dinner. Jason swore again before he knelt down and dragged his gloved fingers through the oil stain left behind.

“Thought I fixed that.” He muttered. “Guess I—“

A sudden sharp hissing noise interrupted the vigilante’s thoughts and he sprang to his feet. He could see a thin spiral of smoke emerging from the ally where he had left the teenagers. He dodged the obstacle course of trash cans and rotting boxes as he ran back to his captives. He found them tied up exactly where he had left them. Exactly as he had left them. With one small difference.

They were all dead.

Jason knelt down beside the teenager whose shirt still bore the muddied impression of the bottom of his boot. His eyes were grotesquely swollen, protruding from their sockets. The pupils were fixed, dilated in a dead stare. His tongue was also swollen and sticking out from his mouth, surrounded by a frothy mix of saliva and blood. The acrid smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils as he turned the body. He could see a patch of black ash on his back, still smoldering with smoke. When Jason carefully lifted the kid’s t-shirt, he could see raised lines webbing across the his back.

“What the hell…?”

“Hood!”

Jason jerked his head up, watching as two silent figures emerged from behind the shadows.

“What have you done?”

The younger man drew back, eyes narrowing sharply behind white lenses. “What?”

“They were low-level enforcers.” Batman tersely replied. “Kids.”

“Wait, wait, wait….you think I—“

“These are your zipties.” A new voi ce angrily spat.

“Oh, congratulations are in order I see. The Replacement has successful completed Daddy Bats’ Jumping to Conclusions 101.”

“Solid evidence is hardly a jump.”

“I didn’t kill—“

“Why is your boot print on his shirt?”

“I knocked them down.” Red Hood explained before he rose to his feet. “Then I tied them up. I didn’t—“

“How often do you leave your victims alive?”

“Victims? Is that what you’re calling dealers these days?”

“They were kids!”

“And I didn’t kill them! I get the job done, but I don’t off kids. Though I’m seriously considering making an exception around your disposable partners.” Jason shook his head and reached into his jacket. “Why the fuck am I trying to plead my case to you, anyway? Guilty until proven innocent, right Bats? Unless, of course, you’re the Joker.”

Not for the f irst time in his life, the younger man wished he could see what the cowl hid. Wished to see if his words had cut as deeply as he had wanted. Wished to see any hint of hurt behind those hard eyes. And not for the first time in his life, he was sorely disappointed.

“I hold myself to a degree of morality in what I do.” Batman finally replied. “No matter what the crime, I never play God.”

“Never play God?” Jason vehemently retaliated. “Oh, that’s rich. Real rich. You tell yourself that each time you bury one of your drafted soldiers?”

“We keep Gotham safe without the body count, Hood.” Tim suddenly asserted. He opened his mouth to continue his argument but reluctantly backed away when he caught the sharp shake of Batman’s head.

“Not completely true, Baby Bird.” Jason quickly retorted, grandly gesturing to himself. “He had at least one.”

“Hood—“

“Look, you and the Replacement can wax poetic a bout your definition of justice all night long for all I care.” The younger one countered as he turned his back to his former mentor. “I’m done with this circle-jerk.”

“Wait!”

But Jason was already headed for the ledge. A few smoke grenades landed close enough for him to feel the burst of heat, but he was gone before they cleared.

Gone and very pissed off.

x.X.x

Jason was still seething as he shifted restlessly in the folding chair. His jacket and gloves had been haphazardly strewn across the cement floor, his mask and weapons on the table beside him. Green eyes focused sharply on the three monitors before him, reviewing the surveillance footage from earlier. The feed had been cut just before his bike was stolen and now he was scouring each shot trying to find any clues he may have missed.

Anything to explain why five teenage delinquents had been fried on his watch.

“Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, _**no**_.” Jason suddenly spat out before banging his fists on the table. “You can just turn right back the fuck around and crawl out whatever shit hole got you in here.”

A quiet sigh was his answer before there was a rustle of Kevlar. Jason’s jaw tensed as he heard the sound of his couch creaking under the weight of a person.

“Good to see you, too, Little Wing.”

“I told you to get the fuck out.” Jason spat back. “And I’m not your goddamn _Little Wing_.”

“I’m kind of comfortable, actually.” The other man proclaimed, though the teasing in his voice noticeably forced. “Is this real leather? I like it. Goes with the minimalist look you have going here.”

Jason swung around, teeth bared as he stalked towards his prey. The prey that was leaning against his couch, one blue-striped arm draped across the back.

“Listen, Dickface—“

“He didn’t send me.” Dick interrupted, h is voice suddenly void of its usual playfulness. “I found you. I just want to talk, Jay. That’s all, okay?”

“There’s no way you found me without his help.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” The older hero dryly replied.

“No problem.” Jason shot back. “God knows you need it after years of hoping for Daddy to drop a few crumbs your way.”

Dick scoffed before he leaned forward and rubbed his face. “Shooting to kill tonight, hm?”

“You make yourself an easy target.” Jason coolly replied. “Your insecurities flash brighter than those stupid stripes of yours.”

Dick frowned for a moment, and the younger man thought that one of his barbs had actually done its job. But Dick just shook his head and slowly ran his fingertips down his arm. “What’s wrong with my stripes?”

Jason looked at the other man, seemingly entranced by the dancing of fingertips down an electric blue path. He didn’t realiz e the heat that prickled beneath his skin at the gesture. Didn’t realize he was staring until the movement stopped. He suddenly shook his head and rolled his eyes. “I told you to get out.”

“Don’t you want to know how I found you?”

“Doesn’t matter.” The younger one replied. “This place will be nothing but rubble in an hour.”

“You really like blowing things up.”

Jason smirked. “Hell, yes.”

“Mm.”

A thick silence settled between them. One Jason didn’t mind except for the fact that this was Dick, and Dick was rarely silent. If he was, it meant he either didn’t know what to say or he was thinking carefully before he said it. Jason didn’t like either option. He sighed and reached up to itch his arm.

“Look, I’m not in the mood for a lecture or the inevitable and useless threat of taking away my—  ** _shit_** _!'_

Dick jerked his head up, his eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“It was in the smoke.” Jason muttered as he examined the residue beneath his fingernails.

“Oh, that.” Dick grinned brightly and nodded. “Yeah. Nano-trackers released in the smoke from his grenades.”

“I thought you said he didn’t send you.”

“He didn’t.” Dick indignantly replied. “He doesn’t know. I developed them and replaced a few last time I was in the Cave. It’s an….experiment.”

Jason crossed his arms over his chest and gave a low whistle. “Not bad for a guy who flunked out of community college.”

A quiet, resigned sigh left the other’s lips. “It was Hudson University.” He explained. “And I left.”

“Yep. Another failure in Daddy’s eyes, right?” Jason asked as he cocked his head to the side. “I mean, with me….well, he wasn’t expecting much in the way of that path. But you—you were the Golden Child, right? Daddy’s heir. Groomed to take over Wayne Enterpri ses. But what a disappointment—“

“That’s enough.” Dick sharply interrupted.

“Apparently not because you’re still here.”

“And I’m not leaving.” The older one resolutely promised.

“Fuck this. I’m taking a shower to get this shit off of me.” Jason said as he straightened up and pulled his shirt over his head. As he tossed it to the floor, he was surprised to find a pair of bright eyes studying him intently.

“What?”

Dick swallowed before shrugging. “Nothing.” He replied, a strange tightness in his voice.

Jason’s grey-green eyes narrowed as he glanced down. “What?” He asked looking at his chest. “These? Scars? Hell, Dickie, we all look like we’ve spent one too many nights at an S&M bar.”

In truth, Jason had a fair share of them. Old ones. New ones. Ones from enemies. And ones from those he once called allies. The Lazarus Pit may have healed some wounds, but there were scars on his body that ran deep. Ones that he purposefully took a few hits now and then for to cover up. Blows he could easily deflect. Blows that he knew would cause bruises. But those old scars…they always seemed to come back.

Like him.

“No….not the scars.” Dick replied, strangely evasive.

“Then why the fuck are you looking at me like that?”

The older one drew in a deep breath. “You’re different. Older. Bigger.” He clasped his hands together and stared down at them. “Sometimes it’s hard to realize that you’ve…grown.”

“Yeah—got rid of the green panties a long time ago.”

“No, I just meant…” Dick sighed and shook his head. “You’re not the same kid that demanded to know if I was part of the Gauntlet. The one who called me old and told me that I was over.”

Jason snorted. “Yeah—I was cocky then.”

A dark eyebrow quirked up. “Then?”

“I have real reason to be now.”

Dick absently nodded but said nothing. The silence that settled this time was less fraught with tension. Jason watched as the older one tapped his fingers together, watching as blue met blue in an aimless rhythm.

“I meant what I said.”

Dick frowned. “About what?”

“Blowing this place up.”

The other man nodded. “Oh.” There was a slight pause before Dick cleared his throat. Jason watched as the other man’s brows furrowed, as if he had been expecting a different answer. “Yeah, I know.”

“I’m going to go wash your little experiment off.” Jason quietly said. “You need to get out of here.”

“Okay.”

“Now.”

Dick drew in a deep breath, a look of sadness suddenly passing through his eyes. “ _Okay._ ”

Jason just shook his head and headed for the other room. He slammed the door to the tiny bathroom hard, rattling it in its hinges. By the time he returned, skin scrubbed raw and clothes damp from the steam of the shower, Dick had made good on his promise. But he hadn’t left quietly. Jason found a neatly folded piece of scrap paper tucked beneath his pack of cigarettes.

I know you didn’t kill them.

“Yeah? Well words don’t mean shit, Dickie.” Jason muttered as crumpled the note and tossed it across the room. He reached over and grabbed one of his detonators. “Action is the only language I speak.”

x.X.x

It was a cold night in Gotham. Cold enough that the rain that had begun to drizzle down half an hour ago was now sticking to the windows of the coroner’s office as sleet. A lone figure was perched on the rooftop of the building across the street, shadowed by its crumbling chimneys. Jason wasn’t wearing his helmet—a decision he was beginning to regret. He reached up and pulled the hood of his jacket up so that his face was better protected from the cutting winds. Behind his mask, his eyes sharpened, focusing on the small screen in his hands. The medical examiner was just now coming into view, snapping the latex gloves around his fingers. Jason was about to reach up and tap his earpiece when a soft swishing noise momentaril y stilled him. Before he even drew his next breath, his gun was unholstered, cocked and aimed directly between the eyes of the man standing behind him.

“No need for that, Little Wing.” A too cheerful voice informed. “It’s only me.”

“Get the fuck out of here.”

“Sorry—already bought tickets to the show.” Nightwing stepped out from the shadows, a smile dancing on his lips. “No refunds.”

“Awful cocky for a guy whose brain is in the path of a bullet.”

Bright blue shoulders shrugged. “Been is worse situations.” Dick brushed by the taller man and tipped his chin towards the building across the street. “Miss anything?”

Jason sighed, realizing the costumed vigilante wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. “He’s about to slice and dice.” He replied before snapping his gun back into place.

“Just in time, then.” Dick hopped onto the ledge and squatted down. “Hey—did you bring anything to eat?”

The younger man grumbled to himself as leaned over the ledge. “Only you would think of food while watching an autopsy.”  
“I missed dinner.”

“Dinner and a show.” Jason grunted as he picked up the small screen he had discarded and shoved it into his pocket. “Is this a date, Dickie-Bird?”

A strange, unreadable frown crossed the other man’s lips for just a second. Jason watch curiously, suddenly wishing he could see the bright eyes behind the lenses. A heavy silence stretched between them before the older one finally broke it.

“Do you want it to be?”

Dark eyebrows raised high before a scoff escaped. But before Jason could reply, Dick jumped down and stood next to him.

“He just made the first cut.” Dick informed, his voice all business. “I’m sure he’ll find the same thing as the other victims. Internal organs fried. Death by electrocution.”

“Yep.” Jason agreed. “Not my style.”

“The burns on the skin prove direct contact to a live current.” Dick continued.

“Again, not my style.”

“We know that.”

“ _We_?” Jason asked, irritated. “Ah, so that’s what this is. Double-checking for Daddy. Well, first you can tell him that I don’t barbecue kids and then you can tell him to shove a Batarang right up his—“

“Jay.” Dick interrupted. “I came here on my own. I just want to—“

“Talk. Help. Stick your pretentious nose where it doesn’t belong because you think all of Bat’s little soldier boys should hold hands and sing Kumbaya under a fucking rainbow.” Jason shot back. “Yeah, I know what you want, Dickie.”

Hood then straightened his shoulders and rose to his full height before stalking towards one of the tall brick chimneys where the rest of his gear was stashed. He could hear the aggravated sigh behind him, but he didn’t turn around.

“Can’t you just list--?“

Jason suddenly turned and grabbed the shorter man, tossing him roughly against the bricked chimney. He gripped a slender wrist in each hand before yanking Dick’s arms up and holding them above his head. It was a hold he knew the older man could easily get out of, and yet Dick made no move to do so. Jason cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes as he pondered that fact. He stared at Dick behind his white-lensed mask before he tested the waters a bit further and pressed the bulk of his weight against the smaller man. He leaned close, noses nearly touching.

“Stop trying to fix me, Dickie-Bird.” Jason whispered, his breath warm against the other’s lips. “My warranty expired a long time ago.”

Dick swallowed hard and flexed his fingers in the other man’s grip. He was silent for so long that Jason was about to pull away. But then he gave a slight shake of his dark head.

“I can’t do that.”

Jason sighed, and Dick clos ed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of exotic tobacco.

“I’m damaged.” Jason quietly declared. “Damaged goods. Can’t fix this.”

“Jas—“

“ _ **Stop**_.” Jason sighed as he lowered the other man’s hand and wrapped it around the back of his own head. He pressed the smaller hand firmly against the base of his skull. “Took a crowbar to the head, Dickie. I’m pretty fucked. So stop trying to fix me.”

They stood there silently for a few tense moments before Jason felt the gloved fingertips beneath his own shift. He fought to keep his breaths steady when Dick suddenly moved his fingers in circles, gently massaging the back of his neck. Jason could count the number of times on one hand that someone had touched him with actual tenderness in his life. He fought hard. He played hard. He fucked hard.

No one showed him otherwise.

“I won’t—“

Jason suddenly leaned forward and pr essed his lips against the other man’s, cutting his protest short. Dick started with surprise but he didn’t pull away. That’s what hit Jason first. That Dick didn’t pull away. What hit him second was that the other man was beginning to return the kiss. A kiss that was awkwardly…affectionate. Jason closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Dick’s soft lips against his own chapped ones. A gloved hand slid down, caressing the older man’s neck before he finally opened the other’s lips, deepening their kiss. The first touch of tongue to tongue was electric, and soon they were both fighting for dominance. Affection flared into primal heat. Teeth scraped against teeth and tongues rammed against one another, licking and tasting all they could. The fingers around Dick’s neck slowly slid around and wound into his dark hair, pulling hard. When Jason finally pulled back, he was more than a little pleased at the flush that colored the other man’s striking face.

  
It took a minute for both men’s breaths to find a steady pattern once again.

Dick shook his head before lowering his hand and tugging on the collar of Jason’s leather jacket. “What was that?” He asked, his voice a husky whisper against the other man’s lips.

“A mistake.”

Both men jumped apart, startled by the shadow that was suddenly very close. They stared wide-eyed at the caped figure whose eyes seemed to flare hotter behind the lenses with each approaching step.

“Batman…” Nightwing quietly began.

“That was a mistake.” The hard voice repeated, the stare behind the cowl trained solely on Jason.

“Br—“

“Yeah.” Jason agreed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his glove. He shook his head before reaching behind Dick and grabbing his gear. “A fucking _big_  one.”

TBC…


	2. Waiting for the Night

Chapter 2: Waiting for the Night

 

Jason didn’t detest the daytime. Not really. He didn’t abhor it. He didn’t have an aversion to it like others in his line of…business. No. He just didn’t like it. It wasn’t so much that the night gave him cover to move freely among the shadows and get whatever job he was working on done. If Jason was going to be honest with himself, he was unlike his mentor in that fact. Unlike Bruce and more like, well, more like Dick. He was a showman. A cocksure one at that. He liked leaving his mark, whether it be in blood or ashes. No, he didn’t dislike the daytime for its lack of shadows. For what it hid. He disliked it for what it showed.

Gotham City.

His Gotham. Not Bruce’s. The poverty. The crime. The struggles. All highlighted in the glaring sun. Single mothers rushing to pick up their children from overcrowded public schools before heading for their second jobs. Construction workers fighting the bitter winter winds as they tried to patch the decrepit roads. Shop owners trying to make enough to feed their families even as their profits are stolen from their shelves by local hoods and from their pockets by local cops. Corruption so thick it reeked as badly as the rotting trash in the alleyways.

This is where he was born. And despite Fate stepping into his life by placing a tire iron in his hands and the Batmobile before him ripe for the picking, it was where he belonged. Sure, he may have been cherry-picked to be dropped into the life of a billionaire madman, but in the end, he found himself right back where he started. He had been to Governor’s Balls. He had traveled the world in private jets. He had trained under one of the most feared men in the world. And then some. Hell, he had been dead and buried and found himself right back where he started. There was something about Gotham that had a hold on him. Something that brought him back and kept him there.

It was just around nine in the morning when Jason settled in a chair outside one of favorite coffee shops. It was a Turkish place, and the elderly wife of the owner had taken a liking to him. She always gave him freshly baked lokmas with his dark coffee, her thin smile and wise eyes always bright. Although he would never admit it, Jason had a bit of a sweet tooth and the sticky puff of dough was just enough to satisfy it. This morning, he found himself with the luxury of a few minutes to spare. A few minutes not obsessing about Gotham’s underbelly. A few minutes of peace with a damn good book and a damn good cup of coffee.

“Hey.”

Jason jerked his head up at the nervous greeting. His eyes widened just a fraction before he reined in his surprise. Green eyes lowered once again, focusing on the old paperback in his hand.

“Recess already?”

Tim scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not in—“

“Don’t care, Baby Bird.” Jason interrupted before flipping the page. “Don’t care why you’re here, either.”

“Are those lokmas?”

“Yep.”

“I didn’t know you liked those.”

“Not in Daddy’s files, huh?” Jason asked as he swallowed half of his drink in one gulp. The coffee was hot enough to burn his throat. Just the way he liked it.

“No. Just a passing reference to Alfred’s double-dipped chocolate chip cookies.”

Jason snorted despite himself. “Was that a joke?” He asked, dark brow cocked high. “From the same kid who was reading the Wall Street Journal in kindergarten?”

“It was Forbes, actually.” Tim retorted with a slight grin. “Can I….sit down?”

“Free country.”

Tim nodded but made no effort to move. Jason watched curiously as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He took another few sips of coffee before pushing his chair back.

“Well, it’s been real nice chatting with you.” He said as he got to his feet and tucked his book under his arm.

“Wait!”

Jason grunted out a sigh. “What?”

“I just…” Tim drew in a deep breath before pulling the chair across from Jason out and stiffly settling into it.

“Just what?”

“I just wanted to say that I was sorry.” Tim finally supplied. “For the other night. For….jumping to conclusions.”

Jason scoffed as he tossed his book onto the table and dropped back into his chair. “Why?” He volleyed back. “It’s what you and your boss do best.”

Tim sighed before drumming his fingers against the rusted metal of the tabletop. “So…you like Salinger?” He asked, eyeing the faded copy of Catcher in the Rye.

Jason shrugged. “It’s not a bad read.”

“Wow...I didn’t, um, I didn’t realize you—“

“Could read?” Jason cut off. “Yeah, fucking amazing, ain’t it?”

“No, I just meant….” Tim sighed and held his hand up in a subtle gesture of apology. “I just didn’t…”

Silence fell as Jason watched the younger one with narrowed eyes. Tim was staring at the plate of pastries, almost as if he was debating shoving one in his mouth before any more words could fly out.

Jason finally sighed and reached into his pocket. “As much as I’d love to continue wallowing in this pit of awkwardness...” He began before slipping a dark cigarette out from its package and between his lips. “I’ve got shit to do.”

This triggered something in Tim. Something that finally caused him to act.

“Have you talked to Dick lately?” The boy finally blurted out.

Jason shook his head as flipped open his lighter. “Nope.” He murmured as he cupped his mouth to light the cigarette. He watched for a moment as the tobacco at the end began to smolder. “Can’t say that I have.”

It was the truth. Not since that kiss a few weeks ago. A kiss Jason would never admit had been on his mind more than once. Replayed in his mind more than once. Especially when he was alone in the shower, eyes closed, pretending the fingers wrapped around his aching shaft were not his own, but ones encased in black and electric blue.

“You know, he loves lokmas.” The words jolted Jason out of his reverie. “Dick, I mean. I think they remind him of stuff his mom used to make. Some Romani stuff.”

Jason drew in a deep breath of rich, spiced smoke before exhaling. “Uh…okay?”

Tim sighed, his frustration evident. Jason watched him through narrowed eyes, mildly curious as to what had drawn his replacement to him.

“He and Bruce…I think they had another fight.” The younger one finally revealed.

“Is that what has your panties in a wad?” Jason asked as he stood up. “Look, they’ve been like an old married couple ever since Dick found his balls and talked back to the big guy. I’m sure they’ll kiss and make up soon enough.”

The older man was unaware of the bitterness that had slipped into his voice. But Tim wasn’t. He frowned as he watched Jason take one last drag before flicking the butt onto the street.

“This has been…..yeah.” Jason said as he grabbed his book. “But I’ve got a couple meth labs with my name on it. So, if you’ll excuse me….”

“I think the fight was about you.”

Jason stilled for a minute before tucking the beat-up book into his jacket. He knew instantly that Tim has seen him react, and he let him know with a dark scowl. He wondered how much the boy knew about what had happened on that rooftop. Tim was the clever one. The one who could put the pieces together more quickly than even Batman himself sometimes. The older one’s jaw set hard, matching the sharpness in his green eyes.

“Look—“

“Dick wants to play the angel.” Jason bitterly explained. “Fix me or whatever the fuck he thinks he’s doing. You know what Bats thinks about that.”

“Bruce wants to help you—“

“I’m Daddy’s biggest failure, kid.” Jason interrupted as he turned his back to Tim. “There’s no fixing that. I’m done here. You’ll have to play camp counselor somewhere else.”

With that he disappeared onto the street, just another one of Gotham’s many denizens. Mixing with the people he protected. Mixing with the ones he abhorred. Disappearing until the moon replaced the sun in the polluted sky above his tainted city.

x.X.x

Hood knew even before he disengaged all of the security devices that he wasn’t alone. And even though he hadn’t stepped a foot inside his latest temporary home, he knew exactly who was waiting for him in the shadows.

“What experiment found me this time?”

A light chuckle was his answer. “One that goes by the name of Red Robin.”

Jason sighed before shimmying out of his jacket and tossing it onto an old crate. “A hamburger joint ratted me out?”

“Funny.” The older man stepped into the sliver of moonlight, bright eyes shining. “And here most people think you don’t have a sense of humor.”

“Most people are dicks.” Jason shot back. “Present company included.”

“Thought puns were my shtick.”

“Yeah?” The younger one asked as he toed off each boot. “Well, I always have one-upped you, Circus Boy. Even to the end. You? You just got fired. Me? I blew outta the panties and pixie boots with style. Literally.”

The smile fell from Dick’s handsome face as he stepped closer. Jason could see the shadows dimming the man’s bright eyes at the mention of his death. He exhaled loudly and shook his head. “It was a joke, Dickie-Bird.” He pointed out as he headed towards the spread of monitors on the wall. “Lighten up.”

“Don’t hold it against Tim.”

“That you’re a compulsive prick?” Jason asked as he plunked into the leather chair and swiveled to face the large panel of screens.

“That I cajoled your latest location.” Dick answered, shoving as his hands into his jean pockets. “I needed to talk to you.”

“No, I’m not coming to Sunday dinner at the Manor. No, I won’t stop referring to Bruce’s spawn as a fucking demon, and no, I don’t want to buy the latest edition of Cooking with the JLA. When I tried their recipe for curry, it tasted like ass.”

A dark eyebrow quirked up. “You know what ass tastes like?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

Dick walked across the gritty floor, his worn sneakers scuffing against it with each step. “Thought you might want to know about this.” He said as he laid a small device on the table and tapped the screen. “Caught the footage two nights ago.”

Green eyes narrowed as a shadowed figure came into view just outside a pawnshop. Jason watched what looked like a normal robbery until the perpetrator leaned across the counter and pressed his hand to the owner’s chest. There was a fulgent flash and the old man jerked violently once then fell to the floor. A thin trail of smoke followed.

“Electrocuted.”

“Yeah.”

“With what?”

Dick shrugged. “Don’t know yet.” He answered. “Want to know the weird thing?”

“A guy shooting what looks like lightning out of his hand isn’t the weird thing?”

“You would think but no.” Dick replied. “The strange thing was that nothing was stolen.”

Jason crossed his arms over his broad chest and frowned. “So you can fry people at will and the most you do is stick up some swap shop for….nothing?”

“Looks like.”

The younger man shook his head. “Maybe it was a hit.”

“On a sixty-three year old grandfather with no record and no debt?”

Jason shrugged. “What’s this got to do with me?”

“Death by electrocution?” Dick asked, a hint of frustration bleeding through. “That doesn’t ring a bell?”

“Those kids were killed by a professional.” Jason explained. “Not some freak with a few wires crossed.”

“Yeah?” Dick countered as he pushed the screen back towards the younger man. “Then what about this?”

Jason leaned down and watched the next loop of footage, his eyes going wide as he saw the getaway of the robber.

“Son of a bitch!”

“Look familiar?”

Jason swore under his breath as he shook his head. That freak was using his bike. The one stolen right out under his nose. This was personal, now.

“I figure we can—“

“Wait.” Jason interrupted as he stood. “What do you mean we?”

“I mean us.” Dick stated, gesturing between them. “I’ve got a few theories—“

“No.”

“Jas—“

“No.”

“I’m just trying to help!”

Dick’s normally cheerful demeanor was marred by his exasperation. Jason had only heard that tone creep into the older one’s voice with one other person. Only one.

Bruce.

“Don’t need your help, Dickie-Bird.”

“Right—because big, bad Hood doesn’t—‘

Jason cut off the other one’s tirade with a kick to the stomach. Dick went down hard, a dazed look on his face. Jason quickly took advantage of the other man’s surprise and straddled his hips, letting Dick feel every single inch of his bulk pressing against him. Each hand held down one of Dick’s, pinning him in place. Bright eyes stared up at him curiously, expectantly. Jason’s own eyes hooded as he studied the other man’s face, watching the flurry of emotions dancing across it.

“What—“

The question ended abruptly when Dick’s mouth was engulfed in a forceful kiss. Jason grinned wickedly as he swallowed the other man’s surprised yelp. He teased Dick’s tongue with a few playful thrusts before pulling back.

The former Boy Wonder stared at him, stunned into silence for a few moments. Then a wide grin broke out across his striking face. “Was that a mistake?”

The younger man snorted. “Probably.” He admitted before leaning down and pressing his lips to Dick’s once again. This kiss was more gentle. More tender. They took their time exploring and tasting one another. Jason liked the rush of heat he saw on the other man’s cheeks when he pulled back.

“Jas—“

“Shut up, Dick.” Jason ordered as he reached down and yanked the bottom of Dick’s shirt up and over his head. “You talk too much.”

The shirt was wadded up and tossed to the side. Jason’s eyes roved hungrily over the prone form beneath him. He had seen Dick without his shirt on before. Hell, he had seen Dick naked a few times before. But never this close. And never spread so temptingly beneath him. Jason closed his eyes and leaned down, letting his lips find a path along the sculpted planes of Dick’s chest. He could feel the hitch in the other man’s breath each time his tongue slipped out to tease the golden skin. He could feel the moan against his lips when he laved one of Dick’s hard nipples. He could feel the slight quiver of the flat stomach when he nipped at the sparse trail of dark hair just below it. And he could feel himself hardening when he finally opened his eyes and looked at Dick, now biting his lower lip and curling his fingers in anticipation.

Jason smiled wickedly as he toyed with the belt of the other man’s jeans. He outright leered when he reached down and palmed the bulge beneath the denim.

“Already hard, hm?”

“Don’t think I’m the only one, Little Wing.” Dick grated out.

Jason shook his head before unbuckling the belt and pulling the zipper down. “There’s nothing little about me, Dickie.”

Dick scoffed, but any retort quickly died on his tongue when a strong hand reached beneath his jeans and squeezed his hardening erection. Jason took his time sliding Dick’s jeans down to his knees. The other man’s arousal was evident now, bulging against the black cotton of his briefs. A growing patch of pre-cum glistened against the front of them, and Jason instinctively licked his lips at the sight of it. As bright eyes watched, he tucked his fingers beneath the elastic band and pulled it down. Jason swallowed hard as the other man’s swollen shaft sprang free. Then he leaned close, his warm breath causing pin-pricks along Dick’s smooth skin. He brushed his nose along the soft curls, breathing in the slight undercurrent of arousal and musk. The first teasing touch of his tongue to the underside of Dick’s shaft caused the acrobat’s hips to buck. Jason grinned as he licked his way to the tip, taking his time to savor the taste. The tang of salt and sweat lingered on his tongue as he swirled it around the head, his pattern torturously slow.

“Jay…”

The younger man grinned fiercely at the need that bled into Dick’s voice.

“Yeah?”

Dick shifted restlessly. “You have to….don’t….don’t tease….”

“But I like teasing you.” Jason murmured before he took just the head of the other man’s shaft into his mouth. He sucked hard, drawing out the thick liquid and rolling it on his tongue before swallowing. He heard a deep groan reverberate from Dick’s chest.

Without warning, Jason engulfed the entire length of Dick’s shaft in his mouth. Dick arched beautifully from the grimy floor beneath them, his back bowed as he sought more of the warm heat that surrounded him. Jason relaxed his throat and massaged his tongue against the pulsing heat encased in his mouth. He was more than pleased at the stuttered moans escaping above him. It had been a while since he had been with another man, even longer since he had tasted one. It wasn’t an act he enjoyed performing, but it got him what he wanted in return. This time, though….this time was different. He had wanted to have Dick splayed out beneath him, wanted to know what it was like to see him thoroughly undone. He had wanted to take Dick into his mouth and see him writhe in ecstasy. He had wanted to be the cause of Dick losing control.

The older man began thrusting his hips up, desperate to find a rhythm. But Jason was in control. This was his show. He quickly pressed his hands against Dick’s thighs, holding them down. Then, without warning, he began to bob up and down, roughly deep-throating the other man.

“God….Jason…..that feels…..”

“Mmmf.” Jason mumbled in return, the vibration of his voice causing Dick to jolt.

“Jay….Jay, pull back….I’m gonna—“

“Uh-uh.” The younger man managed to protest.

“But I’m going to—“

Jason squeezed Dick’s hip trying to let him know. He understood. And he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to finish this as a hand-job. He wanted the other man to come down his throat.

And he was about to get his wish.

“God….oh, god…”

Dick arched high, exquisitely into the air. Jason watched him before closing his eyes and listening to the short gasps that echoed in the open space. He felt the body beneath him suddenly still, then a rush of warmth spurt against his throat. He drank each drop greedily—something he had never done before.

And wasn’t quite sure why he was doing it now.

When Jason finally pulled back and opened his eyes, he was felt his own cock pulse at the sight before him. Dick looked thoroughly debauched. And beautiful. Very…beautiful. Jason normally didn’t describe other men that way. Women, yes. Hell, yes. He had seen, been around, been with, beautiful women. Talia, especially. But he would never describe another man like that. Not until Dick, that is. Until seeing him like this. His arms spread lazily above his head, fingers splayed out around his soft, dark hair. His smooth chest gleaming with the barest sheen of sweat, glistening in the rays of Gotham’s pale moon. His pants pulled down to mid-thigh, displaying sculpted muscles and golden skin. Nothing to mar its perfection save for the nest of dark curls that matched the midnight black crowning his head. And although he had just spent himself down Jason’s raw throat, he was already growing hard again.

Jason’s shaft twitched fiercely in response.

The younger vigilante shook his head as he suddenly leaned closer. “Okay?”

Dick lazily chuckled and reached up to run his fingers through the younger one’s sweaty hair. “Yeah, um, yeah.” He breathily answered. “More than okay, actually.”

Jason nodded and rested his chin on Dick’s sternum. He breathed in deeply, inhaling the primal scent of sex and sweat. “Good.”

Dick’s fingertips made their way through the white locks above the other’s forehead. He could feel Jason’s arousal pulse against his thigh in response to his touch. “Jay.” He quietly whispered. “What about you?”

“I don’t—“

Dick propped himself up on his elbow and cut off Jason’s lie with a deep kiss. “Don’t lie.” He murmured as he pulled back. “Tell me what you want.”

Jason closed his eyes for a few seconds before he pushed Dick back down with his weight. So many answers were waiting to fly out of his mouth. To spread your legs wide and take you harder than anyone ever has before. To pound you so relentlessly you won’t be able to walk for a week. To fuck you into oblivion. But that’s not what came out. Jason surprised even himself with his words when he finally leaned down and planted his lips against Dick’s ear.

“Wanna be in you.”

Dick swallowed hard before he slowly nodded. “Okay.” He whispered.

Jason drew back and blinked, as if he hadn’t expected the other one to acquiesce so easily. “Okay?”

Dick smiled endearingly. “Yeah.” He confirmed as he reached up and stoked his fingertips down the side of Jason’s face. “We can do that.”

The younger man drew in a deep breath. “Do you, um….here?”

Dick glanced around the room. “Maybe the couch? Or whatever that thing is over there.” He suggested with a laugh. “But do you, uh, do you have…?”

Jason quickly nodded. “Yeah, yeah.” He assured, scrambling to his feet “In the other room. Hold on—I’ll be right back.”

Dick nodded, watching as the other one quickly dashed across the dark open space. He gingerly eased himself off the gritty floor, pulling his jeans and briefs back up as he eyed the lumpy second-hand couch beneath one of the support beams. He could hear the echo of shuffling and a few curses from the back room. But by the time he had settled on the worn cushions, Jason still hadn’t returned. Dick frowned and cocked his head to the side, listening. But the noises had stopped. Everything had stopped. It was too silent.

“Hey.” Dick called as he walked towards the back room. “Did you get lost, Jay-Bird?”

Jason was standing a few feet into the room, feet bare, hands clenched into fists at his side. He was motionless, green eyes fixed on a point in the corner.

“Jay? Jay what—“

“Run.”

“What?”

Jason swung around and grabbed the other man’s arm hard. “ _ **Run**_!”

Dick had no time to do anything other than react. He followed the younger man’s lead, heading for the open window above the couch. Jason paused only to grab a duffel bag stashed behind it before pushing Dick to the ledge. Both men dove through the window just as the explosion detonated behind them, landing on the fire escape of the building across the way. A rush of heat suffocated them for a few minutes, stealing the air from their lungs. Above them scorched debris began to rain down, pelting against the rusted fire escape and shattering the windows around them.

“Wow…Jay, that was….I’ve never felt the earth move like that before.”

Jason sharply turned his head and stared at Dick through the settling dust. “What?” He asked between coughs.

“I mean, I’ve had sex that’s rocked my word, but the earth literally moved beneath me.”

Jason shook his head and punched the other man in the shoulder. Hard. “Fuck my life.”

Dick snickered, eliciting a wry chuckle from the younger man. Soon they were both laughing in between fits of coughing, shaking their heads at the rubble around them.

“What just happened?”

The younger man shook his head before reaching up and wiping the grime off of his face. “Don’t know.” He honestly answered. “Saw the timer on the explosives had been triggered. Don’t know how.”

“Well, my bike’s just around the corner.”

But Jason shook his head and rose to his feet. The duffel bag was still clutched in his grip. “It’s been fun, but I gotta go, Dickie-Bird.”

“ _Wait!_ ”

But Jason was gone before Dick could swing himself over the rusted railing and onto the stairs. Long gone. Just like that. The bright-eyed vigilante could only shake his head and stare into the twisted mess where he had been just a few short moments ago, the wail of sirens growing stronger around him.

x.X.x.

It had been two weeks since Jason had found himself in the alleyway covered in debris. Two weeks since he had lost yet another safehouse. Two weeks since he had been cock-blocked by some freak with a fetish for high voltage. He wasn’t sure what he was more pissed off about. The fact that someone was deliberately fucking with him. Or that fact that he had been moments away from one was sure to be one of the greatest fucks of his life. Jason shook his head as he kicked the red helmet he had set at his feet. It squeaked in protest and skidded across the rooftop.

“Fuck my life.”

Once again the Bowery had provided little pickings that night and each night before. Crime Alley gave up nothing save for a few petty thieves. The few leads Jason had followed led him to nothing but cleaned out warehouses and burned out shacks. Jason seemed to be two steps behind in a race where he couldn’t see the course in front of him. Someone was making their presence known in the underbelly of Gotham City. Someone other than the Red Hood.

“Stay away from him.”

Jason swung around, cursing to himself that he hadn’t heard the footsteps behind him. He quickly reached to his thigh and pulled out his favorite jagged blade.

“The list of people I’ve been told to stay away from is pretty fucking long, so you’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that.” He replied, his gloved thumb rubbing absently against the knife’s handle.

“Nightwing.” Batman growled.

“Christ, are you serious?” Jason spat back. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re both adults now, Bruce.”

“Whatever you’re involved in, he doesn’t need to be a part of it.”

“Seriously?” Eyes narrowed dangerously behind the red mask. “Does Dickie get a say in this or is that what your little tiff was about?”

“Just stay away from him, Jason.”

But the younger man vehemently shook his head. “Must cut deep when your Golden Boy defies you.” He acridly countered. “Dick, me—hell, even your own kid. Looks like the Replacement is the only one drinking your Kool-Aid.”

Gauntlet covered fists clenched hard but the dark hero remained silent. Jason felt the rush of victory and pressed forward. It was a rarity to cause a rise in his former mentor. Jason sure as hell wasn’t going to let this opportunity end any time soon.

“Or is it that this is the second time one of your leftovers has come running to me? First Talia. Now Dick. Must feel—“

The punch landed squarely against his jaw and sent him sprawling to the ground.

“Watch your mouth.”

Jason grinned even though it hurt like hell. “Hit a nerve, did I?” He asked, rubbing his jaw with a gloved hand. “What’s the matter? Don’t like the idea of your biggest disappointment getting your sloppy seconds?”

But Batman’s lensed eyes were no longer trained on him. Jason frowned as he looked over his shoulder and followed the other man’s line of vision. Followed it right to the blue and black clad figure standing in the shadows.

Just like that the grin was gone. And so was Dick. Jason sighed before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“Shit _ **.**_ ”

He could hear the sound of a zipline being launched, then the swish of a heavy cape. Jason reached up and wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve, staring at the trail of congealed blood it left behind.

“ _ **Shit**_.”

TBC…


	3. The Sinner in Me

Chapter Three

The Sinner in Me

 

He had never been one for relationships. Any kind of relationship. Not Jason. Hell, the word alone left a palpably bitter taste in his mouth. When he was young, he was the kid who would plunk himself down in the corner of the playground, far away from the vivacious chirps of the other kids. He was the kid who would sit alone and gnaw on his bologna sandwich, watching the others around him with sharp, untrusting eyes. It had been by choice at first. His choice. He wanted to be alone. Then it had been by circumstance. The kids learned to leave him alone, and he had learned that he didn’t need them. The only other relationships he had in his life hadn’t ended so well. His parents. Bruce. All had betrayed him in his eyes. By keeping secrets. By hiding the truth. By leaving him behind. Abandoning him in their own ways. It was no surprise that as an adult, his dysfunction and distrust were as intrinsically a part of him as his trademark red helmet. Relationships were Batman’s weakness, so he made damn sure they weren’t his. The woman in his life were there because he needed something from them. A quick fuck. An influx of cash. Information. The men were there because he wanted to keep his enemies close. Everyone else was merely arbitrary.

Everyone except Dick.

He was different. He always had been. Jason had never really thought about what Dick felt when he was replaced. He was too busy enjoying the fact that he got to fly across rooftops with Batman and pummel the shit out of people who deserved it. When he first encountered his predecessor, he had laughed in the older vigilante’s face. All he knew was that the first Robin had been fired, and he had been chosen to replace him. To be him. It wasn’t until Jason found out about Tim that he understood what Dick must have experienced. And yet while Jason treated Tim with disdain and resentment, Dick had never been that way with him. He had been more confus ed than anything. Blindsided. As if he never expected Bruce to have another partner again. The hurt had been clear, but it was never directed at Jason. No, Dick wasn’t like that. Instead, he offered him his old uniform and a sympathetic ear. Dick was genuine. He cared. And that’s what made him dangerous.

Because something deep down inside Jason wanted to care back.

It had been a couple of weeks since he had been cold-cocked by Batman on the rooftop of Gotham National Bank. A couple weeks that had left a jagged, raw feeling inside Jason’s stomach. One he tried to ignore until it began to fester inside him. Until it began to acidify and burn hotter in his veins than his normal adrenaline. So he finally decided to swallow his pride and apologize to Dick. Two simple words. That’s all he had to mumble, then they could both go on their merry fucking way and Jason wouldn’t feel like such an asshole anymore. Two simple words. But there was one problem.

He would have to find the man first.

Simple stake-outs had proved fruitless. Nightwing hadn’t been seen in a while and word on the street was that he had taken some pretty bad hits the last time he was out. Dick’s loft was empty, the food in his refrigerator untouched. His bed hadn’t been slept in and his motorcycle unmoved from its usual parking spot on the street. Monitoring the Manor and Cave had been a bit trickier, but Jason had managed to slip in beneath Bruce’s nose. But it was all for nothing. Dick wasn’t there either.

That left him with two options, neither of which did anything to help the scowl on his face.

Oracle or Red Robin.

Jason let a disgruntled sigh escape before he picked up his phone. He would try Barbara first. If she was in a good mood, he could coax a few leads from her. His thumb tapped on the screen a couple of times before he raised it to his ear. A quick click later and he braced himself for what was sure to be a tense conversation.

“Hey, O. It’s—“

“Can’t help you, Hood.”

“—Jason.”

The dial tone echoed in his ear, and he blinked a few times before staring at the black mask and glowing green eyes on the screen. Call disconnected. Jason shook his head and hurled the phone across the room, not caring when it landed, shattered, against the cement floor.

“Shit.”

She cared about Dick. A lot. Loved him in more ways than Jason probably knew. If he had spoken to her, then Jason was _numero uno_  on the beautiful redhead’s shit-list. Evidently, he had.

That left the Replacement.

The next night found Jason perched on the wide ledge outside Tim’s downtown apartment in the pouring rain. When he saw the light flicker on in the living room, he drew in a deep breath and pounded on the window. He had a feeling the little shit was taking his time before he slid open the heavy glass. Jason swung himself over the sill and landed with a large thud onto the polished hardwood floor. Muddied water began to instantly pool around his boots, earning him a huff from the boy standing before him.

“Sorry.” Jason said, his tone anything but apologetic. “Jeeves off tonight?”

“I don’t have a butler.”

“Big Guy never got you your own Alfred?” Jason asked as he shook his arms, flinging dirty rainwater everywhere. “Huh. Always thought you had a maid or something.”

“What do you want, Hood?”

The older vigilante took a few steps over to the expensive looking leather couch, plunking himself down on it. He spread his dripping arms wide, resting them along on the plush cushions. “Nice digs.” He said as he glanced around the penthouse.

“What do you want?”

Jason tapped a heavy boot against the floor as he bounced his knee. It was gestures like this he was totally unaware that he did, driven by the undercurrent of adrenaline that rushed through his veins.

“Need to talk to Dickie.”

Tim’s eyes narrowed as a guarded look overtook his youthful face. “Why?”

“None of your business, Baby-Bird.”

Tim sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. The air of openness that permeated their last meeting was distinctly missing. Jason frowned as he wondered what Dick had said to him.

“I can’t help you.” Tim finally replied. He shuddered at the sudden gust of wind that hit him full force from the open window. “Have you tried Oracle?”

“She hung up on me.” The older one answered. He leaned forward and reached into his jacket pocket. “But I think you already knew that. So I’ll ask you again. Where—“

“I just said that I can’t help you.”

Jason sighed as he pulled finally pulled his pack of cigarettes free. “And I already called you on your bullshit. There’s no way big brother would keep radio silence with you.”

Tim said nothing, watching incredulo usly as the other man slipped the filter of a dark cigarette between his lips. “You can’t smoke that thing in here.”

“Hm-mm.” Jason murmured as he lit the tip.

“Jason—“

“You want me to leave?” Jason asked before he exhaled a thick stream of smoke into the air. “Tell me where he is.”

“I don’t think—“

“Then what’re we having for dinner?” The older one asked before plunking his boots on a very expensive looking coffee table. “You got any good Thai places around here?”

Tim rolled his eyes. “You think I’d sell Dick out for some satay?”

“Didn’t say I was buying.” Jason countered with a fierce grin. “Just said I was staying.”

Tim shook his head before walking over to his desk. “I don’t think he wants to talk to you.”

“Don’t really give a shit about what you think.” Jason growled, his frustration growing. “He’s a big boy. If he doesn’t want to talk to me, he can tell me to get the hell out of his face.”

“I’m telling you to get the hell out of his face.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’m trying to apologize to him!” Jason argued, exasperated. “Look, I said some stupid shit and I…I just need to talk to him, okay?”

Tim turned his head slightly, a thoughtful frown turning down his lips. He finally gave a quick nod before he slid into an ornate chair. “He keeps a place on the Upper East side.” He quietly revealed. “By Miller’s Harbor. He goes there when he wants to be alone for a while.”

“Dickie has times where he wants to be alone?” The older one asked, surprised.

“You obviously don’t know him very well if you have to ask.”

Jason drew in a final breath of rich smoke before smashing the cigarette on the edge of the coffee table. “Guess not.” He mumbled.

“He’s not like you, Jason. He can get hurt badly by people he cares about. Very badly.”

Jason rose to his feet and headed back to the window. The rain was coming down in sheets now, pounding against the glass. “Yeah...” He muttered as he ducked back outside. “Not like me at all.”

x.X.x

“What are you doing here?”

Jason was in Dick’s dark apartment, sitting on the lumpy couch as he waited for the older man to come back. Sitting in silence with a decorative white box beside him. He had gone through a pack of cigarettes and a couple of bottles of some cheap domestic beer Dick had in his otherwise sparse refrigerator. It was nearly dawn when he finally heard the rattle at the window behind him. And the coldly asked question that followed it.

The tone momentarily stole Jason’s words. His response died on his lips as he let the frigidness of Dick’s voice wash over him. It was rare that Dick would strip away any sign of outward emotion. Whether it was his normally cheeriness or the more rare flash of anger, Dick was usually an open book. So very different than their mentor. And Jason knew that was part of the reason the first Boy Wonder made himself so easy to read. But tonight, well tonight was another story. Another side to the man th at Jason had not seen before. It unsettled him in the same way that it intrigued him.

“You look like shit.”

Dick said nothing, instead walking into the tiny kitchen. He stood over the sink and lifted the handle of the faucet. Jason watched as the steam began to rise, settling around the other man like an eerie fog. Dick began to work his fingers beneath his mask, loosening its hold on his skin.

“Heard that Nightwing’s been taking some hits lately, but shit, you look like Croc’s personal punching bag.”

Dick looked bad. Bruises of all colors on his cheeks. Deep cuts across his neck, some with congealed blood still covering them. Jason wondered just what injuries laid beneath the black Kevlar.

“Dickie?”

Again silence. Bright eyes stared aimlessly into the steam before Dick cupped his hands and splashed the scalding water against his face. Jason cringed even before it hit, knowing how hot it must have been. But Dick didn’t even flinch.

“What are you doing here?” The older man finally repeated as he reached for a dishtowel.

Suddenly Jason wasn’t so sure he knew the answer to that question himself. He looked down at the box on the couch with its neatly tied gold ribbon and drew in a deep breath.

“I, uh…” He shook his head and rose to his feet, plucking the offering from the couch. There were a few thick moments of awkward silence before he walked towards the kitchen. “I…here.”

Dick looked down at the box being shoved towards him. He raised a curiously eyebrow before meeting the other’s green eyes.

“What’s that?”

“Raspberry roulades, apricot dumplings, and a bunch of other shit I can’t pronounce.”

Dick frowned, shaking his head. “What?”

“Tim, um, he said you liked lokmas.” Jason said, as if this would explain everything.

The anger in the other man’s deep eyes was beginning to be overt aken by his curiosity. He reached out and slowly untied the gold ribbon, watching as it tumbled to the floor below. As Jason held the box awkwardly between them, Dick carefully flipped open the lid. “Um…lokmas?”

“Yeah, uh, he said it reminded you of stuff you used to eat.” Jason swallowed as he watched slender fingers inquisitively poke at the fragrant pastries. “You know, before…before Bruce.”

For just a second, just an almost missed moment, grief shadowed the handsome man’s face. But just as quickly, it was buried once again. “Yeah, um, my mom used to bake for me. For everyone, really. Everyone in the circus.”

“Yeah, well, I really don’t know what Gypsy food is, so I asked this lady at a coffee shop. The one who makes the lokmas.” The younger man continued. “She sent me to a few places. Hungarian, mostly. Don’t know if this looks like what your mom made, but—“

“Jason.”

“Yeah?”

“You bought me pastries?”

The other man nodded. “Yeah.”

“Rom pastries?”

“I think so?”

Dick shook his head, still not taking the box into his own hands. Jason shifted his weight restlessly, the sweet-smelling box feeling heavier with each passing minute.

“Why?”

The younger man shrugged. “That thing on the roof.” He quietly admitted. “With Bruce. It…it was a dick thing to say.”

Dark brows raised high over bright blue eyes.

“Err...” Jason swore under his breath as he shook his head. “I meant it was a douchey thing to say. Not dick. I don’t mean your name is….well, sometimes I call you a dick, but usually when I’m pissed off or…yeah, I….I should just shut the fuck up now.”

The silence stretched tautly between them. The older hero’s face became unreadable again. His jaw clenching tightly as he stared at the box.

“Yeah…this was a pretty stupid idea.” Jason mumbled as he turned to lea ve. “I’ll just toss these out.”

But Dick slowly shook his head and at last reached out and took the box into his own hands. Jason let a deep sigh escape and then shoved his now free hands into his pockets. He watched as Dick looked from him to the box, brows furrowed and lips turned in a frown. He fumbled for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket before remembering that it was empty.

“You should go now.”

Jason’s head jerked up. “What?”

Dick licked his dry lips a few times before he repeated himself. “You should go.”

Jason’s heart fell a little. He hadn’t expected an invitation for coffee or anything, but he also wasn’t expecting to be so summarily dismissed. It hurt. And he wasn’t sure why.

“Okay.”

Dick nodded once before turning and walking back into the kitchen. He set the box on the counter and closed it once again. Then he leaned against the countertop and loosely crossed his arms over his chest . Jason took the hint and headed for the open window in the den.

“I’ve never slept with him, you know.”

Jason swung around. “What?”

Dick had his eyes decisively focused on the floor, but he did cock his head to the side at Jason’s question.

“Bruce and I.” He finally responded. “We’ve never…”

Jason drew back. “Oh, uh, I just thought…the way he…”

“He wou—“ But Dick quickly stopped himself and shook his head. There was something that passed over his face, something that Jason couldn’t quite figure out. “We’re not lovers.”

“Okay.”

Dick nodded again but said nothing more. Jason stared at his boots, feeling the oppressive awkwardness grow with each passing minute. He finally cleared his throat and walked to the open window.

“Guess I’ll see you around, Dickie-Bird.”

Nothing. Not even a nod this time. Jason jumped onto the fire escape and swung over the edge, a dangero us frown marring his handsome face. Barbara. Tim. Now this. He was done. He was so done. He was done trying to play nice with his fucking ‘family’.

x.X.x

Things had been unusually quiet. Much to Red Hood’s dismay. If there was ever a time he needed to shoot or blow the shit out of something, it was now. There had been no more leads into the mysterious electrocution deaths. In fact, there had been no more deaths. Not since the old man at the pawn shop had been toasted. No more taunts. It was as if the perpetrator had gotten bored and moved on. Which was fine with Jason. He had enough freaks in his life to deal with. The last thing he needed was one more.

Then there was Dick. That gnawing feeling in his stomach, the one that had made him feel like such an ass for what he had said hadn’t gone away. Even after he had apologized. No, that gnawing feeling was getting worse and now it was mixing with a dangerous anger and resentment. Fuck Dick. Fuck Dick and the whole goddman Bat Clan. He had tried. He had no reason to feel guilty now. He didn’t do guilty. Just like he didn’t do relationships.

A sudden loud , whizzing noise snapped Hood from his thoughts. A Wing-Ding had suddenly whipped past him, imbedding itself in the brick wall inches from his helmet. Green eyes narrowed as they noticed a piece of paper clinging to one of the curved blades. Jason tore it free and flipped it over, eyes widening at the one simple word scrawled across it.

_Tag._

Jason shook his head bewildered at the paper in his hand. “What the fuck?”

Another stylized shuriken flew past him, nearly landing on top of the first. It too carried a message, written in Dick’s very distinct, nearly illegible handwriting.

_You're it._

Jason crumbled the paper and tossed it to the ground. He turned around and scanned the rooftops around him, at last catching sight of a lithe figure clad in black and electric blue. One that was pointing to its ear.

Jason sighed and tapped his com, then crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”

“Think you can catch me?” Dick’s voice was deeper than usual. Deeper and…silky. Jason tried not to shudder as it seemed to caress his ear.

“What?”

“It’s a game, Jay-Bird.” The other man answered. “Catch me and you win. Unless you’re too busy.”

Jason shook his head. “Win what?”

“You’ll have to beat me to find out."

“Kinky.” Jason muttered. “Didn’t know you were into that shit.”

A easy-going laugh was his response. So different than their last encounter. Jason was intrigued to say the least. “I meant beat me at the game. You have an hour. Find me before then and the prize is yours.”

With that the com clicked and was replaced by silence. Jason watched as the figure gave a quick wave then executed several perfect back flips until it disappeared. He knew he had few precious seconds to take Dick up on his offer. The acrobat was fast. Fast and fucking slippery. As pissed as he was, he was also interested. He and his dick. So he shook his head and reached into his jacket for a line, scrambling to catch up to the shadow already flying along the horizon.

It took him fifty-three minutes. Fifty-three minutes and twenty-eight seconds of an intense cat and mouse game before he caught his prey. The last clue had been the one that had given Dick away. A golden ribbon from Andre’s European Bakery tied prettily around the railing of a fire escape.

Jason stood in the doorway of Dick’s bedroom, his eyes focused solely on the figure sitting at the foot of the bed. Dick was still in his costume, his face partially hidden behind his black mask. His hands were behind him, supporting his weight as he leaned back a little. His lean legs were spread open a little, one foot sliding out a bit further than the other on the hardwood floor. His head was cocked to the side allowing a few strands of his soft hair to fall into his face, and though the white lenses hid those bright eyes, Jason was certain they were trained directly on him. The younger man swallowed hard as he took a few steps into the room.

“Looks like I caught you.”

Dick lazily nodded, his head still titled to the side. “Looks like.”

Jason felt his stomach tighten with anticipation as he watched black and blue tipped fingers tap slowly against th e mattress. “What do I win?”

A slow smile spread across the other man’s soft lips. “What do you want?”

Jason curled his fingers as he let his eyes rove over every inch of the sculpted body before him. “That’s a dangerous question, Dickie-Bird.”

“Is it?” Dick lobbed back, and Jason swore those powerful thighs spread just a bit wider. “Why is that?”

Jason took the last remaining steps to the bed, closing the distance between them. He stood between the other man’s legs, silently looking down at him. He raised a gloved hand, letting his fingers trail along Dick’s jaw line. He smirked when he felt the nearly imperceptible tremor beneath his touch.

“Because there are all kinds of bad things that I want.” The younger man replied, his fingers now finding their way to plump lips that were turned up in a half-cocked smile. “Most of them involve me fucking you raw.”

Jason was more than pleased with the shudder that ran through the other man at his words. He felt his own body jolt seconds later when those lips parted and two of his fingers were drawn into Dick’s mouth. Though he couldn’t feel the warm wetness of the other’s tongue because of his gloves, he could feel the power of it as Dick suddenly sucked hard. Jason groaned as he slid them deeper into the other man’s mouth.

“ _Fuck_ , Dickie…”

Dick gently scraped his teeth along the leather as Jason pulled his fingers free. He then reached out and grabbed Jason’s belt, yanking him closer. He began to slowly unbuckle it, his intent clear. But Jason quickly batted the other’s hands away shaking his head as he stepped back.

“Uh-uh.” He said with a wicked grin. “As much as I’d love to shut you up by shoving my dick down your throat, that’ll have to wait until later. Right now—right now I’m gonna rip off those pants, spread you wide and fuck you until you scream.”

Jason leaned down and gently bit Dick’s earlobe. “Yeah?” He asked, subtly seeking permission from the other man before he moved any further. Dick slowly nodded as he traced a line down Jason’s hard chest, drawing a pattern on the cotton shirt which was now damp with sweat.

“Yeah.”

“Do you…?”

Dick nodded, tipping his chin towards the nightstand next to his bed. “In the drawer.”

Jason leaned down and captured Dick’s lips in a searing kiss before he headed for the nightstand. Dick watched him over his shoulder as he pulled out a couple of condoms.

“They were good you know.”

Jason half turned, still digging around in the drawer for a bottle of lube. “Huh?”

“The pastries.”

Jason snorted in disbelief. “You ate them all?”

“Not all. But, um…maybe most.” Dick replied sheepishly.

Jason chuckled, his roaming fingers at last finding the bottle. “Shit, I’ve had three packages of tor tillas and a quart of bean dip for dinner.” He revealed. “No need to act all coy about it.”

“No one’s ever…” Dick shook his head as he let the thought die on his lips

“No one’s ever what?”

“Gotten me something like that.” Dick slowly answered. “Something to remind me of…not even him.”

Jason knew immediately who the even him was. And a dangerous anger flash briefly behind his eyes. He wasn’t sure quite why. It had just been just an apology. A simple apology. It meant nothing to him.

It should have meant nothing to Dick.

A heavy knot suddenly twisted in Jason’s stomach. “Is that why you’re letting me do this?”

Dick furiously shook his head. “No!” He argued. “No, of course not.” He quickly stood up and walked over to where the other man was standing, still clutching the unwrapped condoms in his hand. “I want this, Jay.” Dick leaned close, nuzzling the younger man’s neck. “ I want you. I…I think I have for a while.”

Jason sighed looking down lube in one hand and the condoms in the other. The heat that burned within him moments before had suddenly tempered. “Look, Dickie….I don’t do relationships.”

“You only want to fuck me.”

Jason swallowed before nodding. “Yeah.”

He knew he sounded every bit the ass admitting it. Out loud. Out loud to this person who had done nothing but try to help him. Shown him nothing but genuine compassion. For no other reason than simply existing in his life.

Dick studied the other man’s face before turning away. “Okay.”

“Dick—“

“It’s okay.” The other man interrupted, and Jason cringed at the forced impassiveness in his voice. “Just fucking. That’s what we both need.”

“Is that what you need?”

Dick lowered his head. “Sure.”

“You’re a bad liar, Dickie-Bird.” Jason quietly replied. “Always have been.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“When you said you wanted to be inside me?”

Jason swallowed hard before nodding. “Yeah.”

“Then lay me down on this bed and show me.”

“Christ…” Jason choked out as the other man’s words shot straight to his hardening cock. He watched as Dick slipped off his gauntlets and tossed them on the floor. The top of his costume followed, then his boots. Dick stood there in the tight pants of Nightwing’s uniform, the black fabric accentuated each beautiful curve of muscle.

“Show me.”

The younger man slowly nodded, watching as Dick pushed down the remaining piece of clothing, gracefully freeing his slender but powerful legs. Dick then laid on the bed, his thighs spread teasingly as he displayed himself to his lover. Jason buried a smirk as he watched the first Robin splayed out before him.

Dick Grayson. Ever the showman.

“ You’re beautiful.”

Dick snorted as he shook his head. “Beautiful?”

The other man simply rested his hand on Dick’s quivering stomach. “Yeah.” Jason murmured as his eyes all but devoured the man spread out before him for the taking. “Fucking _beautiful_.”

Dick fell quiet then, watching the younger man as he quickly shimmied out of his jacket and shirt. His usually pale skin was still flushed and slick with sweat from their little game of tag. Jason tossed the condom and bottle on the bed before he unstrapped his holsters and guns, letting them fall to the floor with a heavy thud. The boots and cargo pants were last, stripped off and tossed aside with little care.

Jason was no slouch himself in the looks department. He wasn’t like Dick. He wasn’t lithe and graceful and breathtaking. He didn’t have hair as dark as Gotham’s midnight sky and eyes as blue and bright as the Caribbean Sea. And he didn’t have an ass t hat deserved its own fucking altar somewhere. No, he wasn’t like Dick. But he knew he was attractive. Suspicious green eyes and thick hair. Well-sculpted muscles. A feral dominance that made him very sexy. He knew that and he used it when he needed to. But the way those bright eyes drank in every detail of his body made his stomach twist in ways he didn’t know it could.

Without warning, Dick reached out and grabbed his hand, yanking it hard so that Jason lost his balance and toppled on top of him. The first touch of skin to skin sent a jolt between them, and Jason kissed the other man hard to muffle the moan threatening to escape his lips. He pulled back and fumbled for the lube, squeezing a liberal amount on his fingers.

“Spread your legs.”

Dick complied, opening his powerful thighs wide. Jason swallowed hard as he stared at the man’s thick shaft and heavy sac behind it. When Dick tilted his hips, he was shown a teasing glimpse of the dusky openi ng that he would soon breach until he was balls-deep in fucking hot bliss.

Jason traced the outer edge of Dick’s plump lips with the tip of his tongue, very slowly, very deliberately. Dick’s eyes fluttered close as the other man drew his bottom lip between his own, sucking gently before catching it between his teeth and tugging.

“Relax.” He murmured as he circled around the clenched puckered opening with his slick fingertip.

“I’m not some sixteen year old virgin, Jay.” Dick scoffed as he drew his knees to his chest. “I’ve been through this drill before.”

“Is that why you’re wound so fucking tight that I can’t even get one finger in?” Jason asked as he stroked the side of Dick’s hip with his other hand. “Relax for me, okay, babe?”

Dick closed his eyes at the pet name that had slipped from Jason’s lips. He knew it meant nothing to the other, knew that Jason probably used it with all of his lovers. Talia . And all the others he had been with. And may be with now.

“Hey—you okay?”

Dick nodded and met Jason’s concerned stare. “Yeah.” He whispered. “Just fine.”

The younger man nodded as he worked his finger in, gently pushing in as deep as it would go. He watched Dick carefully for any sign to stop, but the older one simple closed his eyes again and let a soft moan escape his lips. Jason pulled out before penetrating him with two fingers this time, easing them open to stretch his lover.

“Still okay?”

“Mm-hm.”

Jason added a third finger, working gingerly to prepare the other man. Dick squirmed a little, groaning in pleasure as fingertips teased deep inside him.

After a few minutes, Jason finally pulled them out and reached for a condom. He took precious little time in tearing open the wrapper and unrolling the latex on his aching shaft.

“Time to collect my prize, Dickie-Bird.” He whispered.

And with that, Jason closed his eyes as he began to ease his way in. His cock ached from being so hard and the sudden intense pressure and heat did nothing to stem it. He fisted the comforter in his hands, clutching it tightly as he tried to regain any semblance of control.

“Fuck, you’re tight.” He grated out between clenched teeth. He took a deep breath before a wicked grin overtook his lips. “Or maybe I’m that big.”

Dick tried to huff indignantly in response, but he lost his credibility when it came out as a low moan. Jason chuckled as he leaned down and buried his lips against the other man’s ear.

“Feel okay?”

Dick nodded. “Yeah.” He panted out as he shifted a little to adjust to the younger man moving inside him. “You, you can go deeper.”

“Yeah?” Jason asked as he pulled back. He didn’t give his lover the chance to answer before he slammed into him fully, eliciting a sharp, stuttered gasp. “Like that?”

Dick answered with a quick nod. He reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of Jason’s head, his fingers gently threading into the thick hair. Jason closed his eyes as he was tugged down into a searing kiss. Then he pulled his hips back, relishing the whimper of protest from the older man. Jason changed his angle and slammed back inside without warning, lifting his lover off the bed. Dick cried out in shock.

“Jason…”

He rolled his hips a bit before he pulled back again. “Mm?”

“That.” Dick growled as he spread his legs wider. “ ** _Again_**.”

The younger man snickered and leaned down for a kiss. “Don’t think you’re driving this bus, Dickie-Bird.” He teased, pulling out an old taunt a young Nightwing had used on him years ago.

He didn’t tease the older man for long, though, quickly finding a frenzied and powerful rhythm. Dick gasped as he bucked with each powerful stroke, lifting his hips to meet them. His hand r eached blindly for Jason’s and he moaned when he felt the other man lace their fingers together. Jason ran his free hand along the underside of Dick’s sweat-soaked thigh, pushing it down against his chest. Dick took the hint and hooked both legs over the other man’s broad shoulders, knees bending hard to pull him closer. Jason groaned as he slid deeper, his shaft pulsing wildly in response.

“You feel good, Pretty Bird.” He hoarsely whispered.

Dick squeezed Jason’s fingers hard in response. He closed his eyes and let his head fall to the side, his soft grunts now muffled by the pillow. Jason couldn’t resist leaning down and licking the column of neck now exposed to him before nipping at Dick’s ear.

“So, so good.”

Jason wasn’t sure how long he could last. The noises spilling from Dick’s lips alone could make him come. Couple that with the searing heat that greeted him with each thrust, and he knew this would be the greatest test of how much control he truly had over his body. He hadn’t really known what to expect. Dick was an acrobat. A paragon of grace and flexibility. He imaged the man could bend into all kinds of obscene positions. Hell, he had imagined it and more than once. But this—having the other man spread out beneath him, thighs parted wide, hips lifting to match his every thrust, it was…simple. It was simple, but it was incredible. There was something in the way they were pressed chest to chest, in the way Dick’s heels dug between his shoulder blades, in the way Dick’s shaft throbbed against his stomach as he knew his own did inside the other man that was very erotic. Very intimate.

“Jay…”

Jason groaned as he tried to find enough focus to answer. “Mmm?”

“Harder.” Dick demanded. “Fuck me harder.”

The younger one’s dark head dipped low, his lips nipping at the smooth skin at t he hollow of Dick’s throat. “You want it hard?”

Dick nodded. “Please…”

Jason nodded, a thrill rushing through him, flaring hot in his groin when he complied and began to crash so hard into the body beneath him that Dick’s head began to knock against the wall. The older man all but wailed at getting his wish, gripping Jason’s fingers so tightly that they began to turn white. Jason quickly wrapped his other hand around the top of Dick’s head, burying his fingers in the slick locks and holding fast to protect it from hitting the wall anymore.

“Can you come like this?” Jason breathed into his ear.

Dick nodded. “Y-Yeah.” He stammered, already feeling the beginning of his climax coiling tightly within him.

“Then come for me, Pretty-Bird.” Jason breathlessly urged, his body struggling to keep up its frenzied pace. “Come just from my dick ramming you raw.”

“God.” Dick cried out as he tossed his head back. “God, Jason…”

A few more well placed and well timed thrusts was all it took. Dick held his breath as the first steams spurted out between them, before it escaped as a loud wail. Jason watched fascinated at the thick liquid pumping free, splattering his scarred skin. Too soon his body reminded him of his own need and he swore as the muscles around his cock clutched hard as they contracted from Dick’s release. Jason leaned down and captured Dick’s lips in a brutal kiss, forcing them wide open as he pushed into Dick one final time and came violently inside him.

Jason licked along the roof of the other man’s mouth before he pulled back and looked down at him. They were both breathing heavily, erratically as they fought to find a steady rhythm. Dick’s eyes fluttered open and met Jason’s, their blue the darkest he had ever seen them.

“Holy _fuck_." Jason gasped out as he gingerl y pulled out.

A soft groan escaped Dick as his legs slipped from Jason’s sweat-slicked back onto either side of him. Jason carefully slid the condom off, knotting the top before tossing it into a small trashcan by the bed. Then he collapsed with a groan beside Dick. A few minutes of heavy breathing passed between them before Jason slid into his boxers and stood, arching his back in a long stretch. He could feel the other one’s eyes boring into his back as he dug his pack of cigarettes out of his pant’s pocket and headed towards the window.

“Jay.”

Jason absently tapped the filter of his cigarette against the carton. “Hm?”

Dick turned onto his side, propping his head on his hand. “You leaving?”

The younger man brought the cigarette up to his lips but didn’t light it. “Yeah.” He said with a nod. “Gotta finish patrol.”

Jason could hear the soft sigh echo behind him as he slid his tongue along the filter.

“You should get some sleep before you go back out.” Dick suggested, failing to keep the slight hopeful tone from his voice. “I can wake you in an hour.”

Jason looked down at his lighter, flicking it open and shut. He ran his thumb along the tarnished silver lid. “Sure.”

They both knew he was lying the moment the word left his lips. Dick sighed and settled back against the pillow. “Wake me before you leave?”

“Yeah.”

Jason slid the cigarette from his lips and jammed it back into the pack. He stared out onto the street below, watching as the a few scattered people passed by. He knew Dick wanted more than a casual fuck after patrol. He knew that. And deep down inside, he knew that he might start to want that, too.

But he wasn’t ready to admit that to himself quite yet.

It took a few more minutes before Dick’s soft snores echoed from behind him. Jason quietly dressed and snapped his holsters back into place. He walked ar ound to the other side of the bed and took a few minutes to watch Dick sleep.

“I can only give you a good fuck now and then, Dickie-Bird.” Jason finally whispered as he ran his fingertips through his lover’s sweat-soaked hair. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the side of Dick’s exposed neck in a quick kiss. “Don’t expect more.”

He didn’t see the bright eyes open as he left through the window. He didn’t see the hurt that echoed behind them. Nor did he see the shadowed figure two buildings over, cape fluttering in Gotham’s heavy breeze, watching his escape.

TBC…


	4. Only When I Lose Myself

Chapter Four

Only When I Lose Myself

  
This had always been Dick’s favorite time of the day. The fringe between the dying night and the rising dawn. It was still dark but the stars were just starting to fade. Soon the sun would wash its muted rays over Gotham’s sharp skyline and crumbling brownstones. But for now, the night was almost suspended in its last hour, holding an eerie calm over the aging city. When he was young, Dick loved to sneak out of his family’s trailer and watch as the animal keepers bustled about, preparing to feed the circus’ array of gentle beasts. He knew they would look the other way as he grabbed a couple of apples for Zitka or hid in the shadows to watch as the lions tore apart their breakfast. After his life had changed and he found himself far away from the din of the big top, he still loved those frozen moments before dawn. When he had first come to live at the Manor, sleep escaped him. He had never experienced loneliness until the first night in that cavernous room, curled up in a bed so big he thought it would swallow him whole if he dare fall asleep. Every night was the same. He was alone. Alone with strange shadows and the stifling silence. The man who had become his legal guardian was as elusive as those shadows, as intangible. Dick rarely saw him, with a quickly murmured good morning or be sure to mind Alfred the extent of their interactions. But a strange ritual began to happen just before dawn. Bruce would wander down the shadowed hallway and stand in the boy’s doorway, arms crossed over his chest, clear eyes piercing as they kept a sharp vigil over him. Every once in a while, when Dick would hold his breath with hope, the man would take a few steps inside and tuck the covers more tightly around him or run his fingertips through his mop of dark hair. At the time, Dick didn’t know that this was when the man had just returned from patrol as Gotham’s protector. It would several more months before that secret was revealed. Even then he treasure those moments all the same. Once Bruce revealed the secret of the cowl and gave him his own mask to don, those quiet moments before daylight remained his favorite. It was then that he dove under his massive down comforter, the scent of Gotham still fresh against his skin, as he tried to settle in for a few hours of sleep before school. The events of the night would replay themselves in his mind, vivid and bright, and a smile would play on his lips. Bruce would still pass by his door on those nights, though now he would even let an occasional _Good job tonight, Dick_ whisper into the darkness. When he became Nightwing, he loved to stand on the highest rooftop he could find in those moments before dawn, arms crossed tightly over his Kevlar-coated chest, a satisfied smile dancing on those lips. He loved the sight of his city then. The sights. The scents. The sounds. It was his, and so were these moments just before the sun rose and showed Bludhaven for what she truly was.

But those times were long gone.

Now he stood in the window of a rundown warehouse, looking out at the broken windows and fading graffiti on the buildings across the street. Even in the gritty fog, the night sky over Gotham was beautiful in its own way. Dick cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as they warily scanned the rooftops. Somewhere in his mind, he registered the sound of a quiet sigh and then joints popping as someone behind him stretched.

“Didn’t think you knew about this place.”

A quiet snort was Jason’s answer. “I know much more than you give me credit for.”

Dark eyebrows rose, disappearing behind a shock of white hair. “Yeah?” Dick heard the tell-tale tapping of a cigarette, knowing the younger man’s habit of hitting it against the package to settle the tobacco. “Been here over a month. Haven’t seen you around.”

“Thought you needed the space.”

“And tonight?” The question was muffled as Jason raised his hands and cupped his mouth, lighting the cigarette now perched between his lips.

Dick gave a half-hearted shrug before closing his eyes. “Hoped you didn’t.”

The caustic jibe Jason was planning died on his lips as he focused on Dick’s hollow eyes when they finally opened. He cocked his head to the side and drew his eyes to the black and blue costume flung carelessly onto a crate in the corner. Then he turned back to Dick, studying the array of fresh bruises that mottled his chest.

“Bad night?” 

A grunt was his answer. His only answer. Grey-green eyes narrowed.

“Assholes get away?” He asked before tilting his head up and exhaling a steady stream of smoke.

Dick shook his head but remained uncharacteristically quiet. Jason slid onto the wide ledge of the window, bending one leg against his broad chest. The other he let hang down, his heel kicking expectantly against the decaying wall. It wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough that it would annoy the older man.

“There’s a way to solve that problem, Dickie-Bird.”

Dick rolled his eyes at the nickname. “What problem?”

Another line of smoke drifted into the air. “Bad guys getting away.”

  
“I don’t need your solutions.”

  
Jason grinned before drawing in another deep breath, savoring the richness of the Moroccan tobacco. Cigarettes were the one thing he splurged on, developing a taste or the more exotic brands during his time with Talia.

  
“Why?” He asked, extending his finger and sticking up his thumb so that his hand mimicked a gun. He pointed it towards Dick and clicked his tongue loudly. “They work.”

  
The older man said nothing, pursing his lips together and drawing his eyes back to the rooftops. Jason watched him curiously as he held his cigarette beneath the crack in the window and flicked off its heavy ash.

  
“No.” He finally said, answering an unvoiced question. “Worse than that. Let’s see. No goons getting away. By the way you’re brooding….someone get hurt? Is that it? Little Dickie let some poor innocent get hurt on his watch?”

  
Jason was trying to get a rise out of him. Dick knew that. Knew why. But he said nothing, instead closing his eyes and lowering his head. He could feel the other man’s eyes on him, boring into him, burning into him.

  
“No?” Jason asked, taking a final drag before flicking the cigarette out the window. “That only leaves one thing, then.”

  
Dick opened his eyes and met the younger man’s.

  
“Jason…”

  
“ _Daddy._ ”

  
“ **Jas** —“

  
“He’s the only one who makes you like this, Dickie.” Jason interrupted as he hopped down and leaned close to the other man. He nuzzled the skin just behind Dick’s ear before pressing his lips to it. “The _only_  one.”

  
Dick suppressed a shudder before turning to watch the younger one’s taller frame retreating. Like him, Jason was dressed only in a pair of boxers, the expanse of his skin on his back mapped with scars. Scars the younger one refused to acknowledge. Scars whose pain he felt each night he awoke drenched in sweat, eyes glazed and mind trapped in the last moments of a nightmare.

  
Dick hated those nights. Hated when he felt the warm body beside him thrash back and forth as he fought some unseen darkness in his dreams. Jason would wake up, body drenched in a sheen of sweat, hands shaking as they covered his face. Then he would remember. Remember that he was not alone. That he had allowed Dick to drift asleep beside him for a couple hours before waking him up with rough shake to his shoulder and a brusque _Going on patrol_. Though Jason never told him to leave outright, the message was always clear. _Fun’s over. Time for you to go, Dickie-Bird_. The nights he woke from the more violent nightmares, Dick’s exit was much more to the point.

  
_Get the fuck out. **Now.**_

  
By the time Dick finally made his way across the cold cement floor, Jason was out sprawled on his mattress, one hand tucked behind his head. The other was resting on his stomach, fingers idly tapping against it.

  
“You coming in?” Jason asked, his voice low and deep. “Or you just gonna stand there all night moping about Bats?”

  
Dick breathed out a quiet sigh before walking across the sparse room and settling on the edge of the worn mattress.

  
“Haven’t seen you in while.” Jason tossed out. “Why’d you pick tonight for a play date?”

  
The older one shrugged. “I need a reason to see my family?”

  
Jason snorted. “Got news for you.” He spat out, eyes narrowing sharply. “I’m not part of his fucking family.”

  
“Thought you were part of mine.”

  
Jason remained silent for a moment before drawing his eyes back to the ceiling. “Why are you here?” He repeated.

  
“ _Mangav te bistav._ ”

  
“Forget what?”

  
Dick swung around, eyes wide with surprise. Jason smirked at the unguarded shock on the older one’s face. 

  
“Picked up a little Rom during my travels.” He offhandedly explained. “What do you want to forget?”

  
Dick studied Jason’s face intensely for a few moments, his own suddenly unreadable. Then he finally turned back around and dropped his eyes. He stared at his fingers, loosely twined together as they hung between his knees.

  
“Nothing.”

  
“Came a long way to forget nothing.”

  
Silence was Jason’s response, an unusual one from a man whose bright eyes alone spoke volumes. But not this night. Jason cleared his throat.

  
“Does he know you’re here?”

  
Dick immediately tensed, the muscles in his shoulders knotting beneath Jason’s watchful eyes. “Does it matter?”

  
The younger man shrugged. “Seems to matter to you.”

  
“You want to talk about him while I’m in your bed?” Dick edgily replied. “Maybe I’m not the only one with a Daddy-kink.”

  
“So you are here to get laid.”

  
Dick swallowed hard before rising to his feet. “This was a mistake.”

  
The younger man rolled his eyes before leaning across the bed and pulling the other one’s arm hard. “Not in the mood for your usual theatrics, circus-boy.” He countered. “So let’s skip that shit and just get to the good part, hm?”

  
When Dick looked like he might actually leave, Jason moved quickly, yanking him on the bed and shifting on top of him. Jason held down the lithe body beneath him, pinning Dick with his bulk. The other man may have a few years on him, but Jason had more inches and pounds. He pinned the Dick’s arms above his head, eyes hooded as he stared at the spray of black hair fanned across the pillow. Then he pressed down, grinding his growing arousal against Dick’s quickly responding one.

  
“That’s better.” He proclaimed with a cocky grin.

  
Dick closed his eyes, sighing quietly as Jason’s lips trailed down his neck. He swallowed hard when he felt the younger man pause just above his pulse-point before tracing around it with the tip of his tongue.

  
“Now….what do you want to forget, Pretty-Bird?” Jason murmured against his neck.

  
Dick shook his head, biting his lip as if he didn’t trust himself not to answer. But Jason knew him too well. Knew what would cause the older one’s self control to begin to slip away. He raised his eyes, drawing them over Dick’s striking face before leaning down and sinking his teeth into the smooth skin of his throat.

  
“What do you want to forget?”

  
Dick’s back bowed a little as he drew in a sharp breath. “Jason….please….”

  
“Not until you tell me—“

  
“Everything.” The older one finally whispered. “I want to forget everything.”

  
Jason’s head dipped lower and his lips found the hollow of Dick’s throat. He pressed a soft kiss to the indentation there before his tongue slid out for a taste. Jason savored the bitter tang of salt and sweat from the night’s patrol as he slowly licked a path along Dick’s neck. The vibration of the other man’s breath catching in his throat shot strait to his groin and Jason groaned in response, grinding harder against the body beneath him.

  
“Nothing and everything.” Jason whispered as he shifted, his lips now hovering over his lover’s smooth chest. “You’re a complicated man, Dickie.”

  
Whatever response Dick had was lost the minute teeth scraped against his nipple, then clamped down hard. He hissed in exquisite pain, back arching his body closer to Jason’s touch. A low chuckle resonated against his chest, the warmth of Jason’s breath causing Dick’s skin to prickle beneath it. The younger man was being slow. Torturously so. He knew Dick didn’t have the will to be patient tonight, and he was going to make him regret that every step of the way.

  
“Jay….would you please ju—“

  
“Now I know he taught you how to stay cool.” Jason interrupted before lapping his tongue along the ridge of Dick’s ribcage. “Never lose your composure in front of the enemy.”

  
“You think you’re the enemy?”

  
Jason straightened, his hands still planted firmly on either side of Dick’s chest. His eyes narrowed for a moment before he cocked his head to the side.

  
“Yeah.” He answered, a quiet honesty in his voice. “Sometimes.”

  
Dick swallowed thickly before reaching up and wrapping his hand around the younger one’s neck. “Jay….you’re not….” He sighed, shaking his head. Jason watched the emotions warring behind those bright eyes. “Not even he thinks you’re that far gone. You’re just—“

  
“Misguided?” Jason finished, the hubris back in his voice. “Delusional? Volatile? Fucked in the head?”

  
Dick blinked. “Well….maybe not all those….“

  
“Aw, fuck this.” Jason ground out as he grabbed the hand stroking his throat and slammed it above Dick’s head. “This isn’t time to play therapist.”

  
Blue eyes hardened instantly. “Isn’t that what you’re doing with me?”

  
“No.” Jason replied as he unceremoniously shoved his hand down the other’s boxers and wrapped it around Dick’s now fully hardened shaft. “I’m fucking you.”

  
“Then fuck me.”

  
Jason grinned as he squeezed hard and was rewarded with a sharp gasp. “Can do.”

  
The younger one took a moment to admire his lover’s sculpted physique as he yanked Dick’s boxers down and tossed them on the floor. Dick was beautiful. There was no denying that. But it was more than just his body. It was more than the expanse of golden skin, always warm, always….glowing. Because he did. He glowed. His eyes. His smile. The grace in the simplest of his movements. It was more than his lithe but muscular limbs. More than his pretty face. More than the impressive cock jutting from its nest of dark curls.

  
Though that was a big part of it, the younger man thought with a wicked grin.

  
For now, here in this moment, Jason didn’t want to think about exactly what it was. Exactly what he felt when he was buried to the hilt in the first boy wonder, exactly what Dick thought when he spread his legs as wide as he could and welcomed him in.

  
Too much thinking always got him in trouble.

  
Jason leaned down and swallowed his lover whole before Dick could see the emotions playing across his face. He smirked at the panted breaths above him, at the way the hips bucked beneath his grip. One hand slid beneath the bed, rummaging for the condoms and bottle of lube he kept beneath there. His tongue traced the thick vein that ran along Dick’s shaft and he sucked noisily as he flipped open the bottle in his hand.

  
Soon enough slick fingers slid into the body beneath him and Dick groaned at the sensation. Jason began sucking in earnest now, greedily swallowing the slick pre-cum that was oozing from the tip. Fingers pushed hard and deep, teasing and preparing. Dick’s hands slid from their place on the headboard, reaching for the dark head between his powerful thighs. Jason closed his eyes at the feel of slender fingers in his hair, gripping hard as he bobbed his head up and down.

  
“Jay….”

  
Jason pulled back, staring smugly at his lover’s now glistening erection. “Right here.”

  
“Jay, I need….I need more….”

  
“I know you do.” The younger one replied, pushing his own boxers down to his thighs and palming his thick arousal. “And I’m gonna give it to you.”

  
With that he slid the condom on and put his hands on Dick’s knees, spreading those powerful thighs wide. He kept his stare trained on the older man, positioning himself at Dick’s slick entrance before slowly sliding in.

  
“I’m gonna give you what you need.”

  
With that, Jason leaned down and kissed his lover, thrusting hard and deep into him. He reached up and gripped the headboard with one hand, using it as leverage as he began to pound fast and deep. He gave his lover no time to adjust to the sudden fullness, instead pummeling harder and harder into him. Jason narrowed his eyes as he drew back, studying the way Dick shifted restlessly beneath him. Studying the way his eyes pressed so tightly shut that he could just make out the delicate web of veins branching across each lid.

  
“Fuck me harder.” Dick suddenly demanded. “Fuck me until there’s nothing left. Nothing at all.”

  
Jason swallowed hard. “ _Jesus_ , Dick…”

  
“Please.”

  
Jason flexed his hips and pulled all the way back until just the tip of his swollen head teased Dick’s entrance. Then, without warning, he thrust hard, slamming deeply into the tight heat. Dick’s breath was forced from his lips as a near-savage groan.

  
“Okay.” He quietly murmured, his body holding its arch. "I can do that. But you have to do something for me. You have to look at me.”

When Dick finally opened his eyes, they were dark with lust. Lust and something else churning just beneath the surface. Something Jason couldn’t quite interpret. He leaned down close to Dick, feeling the other man’s warm breath against his skin.

  
“You have to look at me.” He repeated before capturing Dick’s lips in a deep kiss. His hand released its grip on the headboard and wandered down, drawing along his lover’s smooth arm. He closed his eyes and let his fingertips brush against Dick’s skin, lingering first along the hollow of his elbow then the sensitive skin along his wrist. He laced their fingers together and squeezed hard.

“There’s just you and me." He assured as he pulled back. “Nothing else—no Bats. No bullshit. Just us, yeah? Just us, babe."

  
Dick gave a slow nod before reaching up with his free hand and threading his fingers through Jason’s dark hair. He tugged hard, pulling him down so that their lips crashed together and their kiss was all teeth and tongue. A low growl escaped the younger man as he slammed back into the pliant body beneath him.

  
No more words passed between them. Jason grunted as he struggled to keep a steady rhythm, as he struggled to pound harder and harder into the willing body beneath him. Dick simply clutched the fingers locked with his own, trying in vain to stave his fast approaching climax. He tried to focus on the body pressing into him, on every curve of hard muscle and every inch of scarred skin. Sweat was beginning to drip down from Jason’s temple, finding a path down his face and neck, then dipping teasingly down his chest and to his navel. Dick was snapped out of his trance when Jason’s hand suddenly disentangled from his and reached between them.

  
“Wanna watch you.” The young man ground out as he gripped Dick’s swollen shaft.

  
The other one could only nod before pushing his head back into the pillow and closing his eyes. Jason’s hands were rough and the calloused skin felt torturously good as he pumped him.

  
“Wanna watch you come for me.”

  
And that was all it took. Dick was moaning before he could stop it, his voice hoarse with lust. Jason watched as the streams of white landed on Dick’s heaving chest, mingling with both their sweat. Somewhere in the aftershock, Dick registered the sudden tensing of his lover’s body before a near feral groan escaped the younger man’s lips.

  
Jason collapsed and shifted the side, pulling of the condom and tossing it into the trash can beside the bed. He pressed a kiss to Dick’s slick throat before stretching onto his back and slinging his arm over his eyes.

  
“Fuck.”

  
Dick said nothing, instead reaching down for the blanket bunched at the foot of the mattress. He covered them both before turning onto his side, away from Jason.  
“I’m tired.”

  
Jason lifted his arm for a second, glancing at the back of Dick’s head. He knew Dick wanted to stay. He always wanted to stay, and even worse, always wanted to talk. But Jason knew how to stop that train in its tracks. "Then sleep.” He answered. “I’m not going on patrol for another hour.”

  
Dick sighed. An hour. Less than he wanted. But more than he expected. Especially after the words that had passed between them. “Wake me then?”

  
“Will do.”

  
Dick fell asleep quickly, the adrenaline from the night finally wearing down. Jason watched him for a few minutes, trying not to replay their conversation over in his mind. He hated obsessing. Hated dwelling on every word like his lover did. But when his mind wandered back to their exchange, he couldn’t help the tightening in his chest.

  
_Fuck me until there’s nothing left. Nothing at all._

  
Jason sighed before throwing the blanket off and planting his feet on the cold floor. He couldn’t afford to get attached. To feel concern. To feel anything, really. Not when it came to his dysfunctional ‘family’. He muttered to himself as he wandered into the common area of his loft, cigarettes and lighter firmly in his grip. He took a second to light one before opening the refrigerator and pulling out his favorite beer.

  
The sun was just starting to rise over Gotham. Jason walked over to the window he had found Dick at earlier and slumped against it, one hand above his head pressed to the cold glass. He took a quick swig of the dark ale as he idly gazed at the skyline. He hated the dawn. Hated the way the buildings looked bathed in the pinkish glow of the morning sun. Hated the excited chirps of birds looking for their first meal of the day. Hated the sound of people bustling about as they prepared for their day. Their normal day. Making p ancakes for their kids. Straightening their ties one last time before grabbing their briefcases and heading off to their normal jobs. Watering their fucking plants and packing school lunches. Bruce had never done that for him. Hell, his own parents had never done that for him. This had always been Jason’s least favorite time of day.

  
Because he hated the reminder that he wasn’t one of them. Wasn’t and never would be.

  
Jason took a few more drags off of his cigarette before tossing it out the window. He was about to leave when a sudden blur of motion caught his eye. A sudden shadow shifting on the rooftop across the way. It was then that he realized exactly what Dick had been staring at earlier. What had captured his attention so thoroughly. What had caused the tempest behind those bright eyes.

  
“Son of a bitch.”

  
Jason drew his eyes back to the shadow and where it had shifted. He could just make out the pointed ears of the cowl and the curve o f the heavy cape. His eyes followed the line of vision from the rooftop, widening when they realized where it ended.

  
The window of his bedroom.

  
“Fucking son of a _**bitch**._ ”

  
Jason shook his head, his chest tightening when a fierce wave of possession burned within him. He titled his head back and finished the rest of his beer in a few quick gulps before tossing it aside. Then he walked back into the bedroom, his expression dark and dangerous. Jason spared a glance at the softly snoring figure curled beneath the blanket before he walked to the window. The blinds were pulled up a little, enough to offer a glance of what lay inside. Jason reached up and tugged on the cord, opening them fully, allowing the sunlight to stream into the room.

The sunlight and prying eyes.

  
When Dick awoke, it was to the sound of metal grinding against metal. His brows furrowed for a minute as he tried to place where he was. The heavy clatter of a gun dropping against a table answered his question and he turned to see Jason sitting at an old desk cleaning his guns. With a heavy sigh, he slid from beneath the warm covers and rose to his feet.

  
“Got some place to be?”

  
Dick blinked, turning to face his lover. Jason’s eyes were focused solely on the barrel of the gun as he wiped it down. “I thought….you’re going on patrol.”

  
Jason frowned for a moment as if battling with indecision. But he finally breathed out a low sigh and shook his head. “Changed my mind.”

  
“But you have your….”

  
“Guns.” Jason supplied, his grey-green eyes still decidedly off Dick. “Lightning’s not gonna come down from the sky and strike you dead just for saying it.”

  
Dick sighed. Not this battle. Not again. He didn’t have the energy to debate the other’s choice of weapons.

  
“I should probably….”

  
“Get back in bed.” The younger man’s eyes finally met his own.

  
“What?”

  
“Get back in bed.” Jason repeated as he tossed the rag down and stood. He stretched his body hard, reaching up to clasp his hands behind his head. “It’s fucking cold in here and you’re like a sauna.”

  
“I am?”

  
“Yeah. You are.” The younger man replied. He walked over to the worn mattress and flopped down, motioning for Dick to join him. “It’s cold and you’re better than this cheap piece of shit blanket. Now get back in bed.”

  
“Gee, thanks.” Dick dryly answered. He studied the younger one for a minute, trying to gauge his unreadable expression. “You…sure?”

  
“Yes, I’m sure. Today, please? I’m fucking tired and cold and you’re standing there with that dipshit look on your face.”

  
Dick snorted before he finally lay down beside his lover. The delivery left something to be desired, but it was an invitation nonetheless. An invitation he would tuck away and analyze later.

  
“Okay, Jay-Bird.” He agreed. “Since you’ve asked so nicely.”

  
Soon Dick was back asleep, curled on his side with his back to the other man. Jason, however, remained awake, his eyes never leaving the window. He couldn’t see the shadow anymore but instinct told him it was still there. Still watching. After a while, Jason finally closed his eyes and began to drift, his hand sliding along the curve of Dick’s body. He stopped at the hollow where hip met groin, where dark curls teased his fingertips. He stopped and let his hand rest against that golden skin.

  
A possessive gesture not missed by watchful eyes.

TBC...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally written as a one-shot--my first Jay/Dick piece ever, actually. But As I started PtA, I realized it fit in with this universe, so I've tweaked it and added it in where I thought it fit best in the timeline. Also, I am so sorry I haven't responded to your awesome, lovely comments! I'm a bit behind and plan to do soon. They and the kudos are greatly appreciated! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys! Decided to repost this as I'm working on new chapters. I plan to rework chapter six--the last chapter that was posted as I was never happy with it--as well as start chapter seven soon. Thanks in advance for reading!


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